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Interesting facts about giraffes that you didn't know

If we explore the animal world, we discover that there are many curiosities about the behaviour and habits of the Earth's most popular species. 

Giraffes are animals full of curiosities to discover. 

Did you know, for example, that they get very little sleep or that they cannot touch the ground with their mouths?

Let's find out some interesting facts about giraffes, the world's tallest animals that live exclusively on the African continent.

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Some interesting facts to learn about giraffes
If we explore the animal world, we discover that there are many curiosities about the behaviour and habits of the Earth's most popular species. Giraffes are animals full of curiosities to discover. Did you know, for example, that they get very little sleep or that they cannot touch the ground with their mouths? Let's find out some interesting facts about giraffes, the tallest animals in the world. (Source: wikipedia, wwf.it)
Arpingstone, Wikimedia Commons
1. Cervical vertebrae like humans
With their long necks, giraffes are easily recognisable, but few know that they have only seven cervical vertebrae, like humans, but much larger, with a length of 25 centimetres each.
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2. Quick to escape
At short distances, giraffes can run at 56 km/h and would rather run away than attack a predator.
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3. A particular way to defend themselves
Generally, giraffes prefer to run away rather than attack, but a swift, strong kick from a giraffe's long paw can seriously injure or even kill a lion.
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4. How are the puppies born?
During birth, female giraffes tend to return to the place where they were born to give birth to their cubs. Although the babies fall from a certain height (about 1.5 metres), they still manage to stand thanks to their ability to walk within minutes of birth.
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5. Advantage of not drinking water too often
Giraffes are astonishing in their ability to survive on only one drink every two days. This is possible thanks to the water they take from their food. This proves to be an advantage for these animals as their long necks make drinking difficult and the position they assume for watering exposes them to predators.
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6. How do giraffes sleep?
Giraffes usually rest in an upright position, however on some occasions they can be found lying down for short naps of about 6 minutes. This position is very vulnerable and therefore only used for a short time.
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7. A big heart
Giraffes have big hearts: Due to their particular morphology, giraffes possess a highly specialised cardiovascular system, with a heart that weighs 11 kilos and is 60 centimetres long.
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8. Tallest animals in the world
You probably won't be surprised that giraffes are among the tallest animals in the world. Males can reach a height of over 5 metres. The giraffe's neck alone is up to 2 metres high in some individuals.
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9. The spots on the skin
The characteristic spots are like fingerprints for a human being: no giraffe has the same coat as another specimen.
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10. A particular communication
Despite being generally silent and non-vocal, giraffes have been seen communicating using various sounds. During courtship, males emit loud coughs. Females call their young by bellowing. The young emit snorts, bleats, bellowing and meow-like sounds. Giraffes also snore, hiss, moan and whistle-like sounds, and communicate over long distances using infrasound.
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